A forced labor complaint against the Saudi Arabian government filed by a global trade union is a significant warning to Saudi authorities and businesses and investors in the country about the predictable and preventable migrant labor abuses associated with the government’s Vision 2030 plan that relies on millions of migrant workers, Human Rights Watch said today.

In the complaint filed under article 24 of the International Labour Organization (ILO) constitution on June 5, the 12 million-member-strong Building and Wood Workers’ International Union (BWI) highlights the exploitative living and working conditions among the country’s vast migrant workforce of more than 13.4 million people, including widespread wage theft. The ILO complaint is filed ahead of the upcoming July decision by FIFA, which controls international soccer, to greenlight Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup for which the kingdom has become the “sole bidder,” in contravention of FIFA’s own human rights rules …

“This ILO forced labor complaint should serve as a wake-up call for Saudi authorities to course-correct and remedy past abuses including the unpaid wages of tens of thousands of migrant workers,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch…